Paint the roses red
by InsertCleverUsername
Summary: This is the story of a young girl twisted by the steady, unwavering harshness of gotham city. This is an OC story. Later chapters will have Jason Todd paired with her. I understand there is a character named stephanie brown. this is not her. This is My oc, stephanie ward... I named her a long time ago, when i was only aware of barbra, dick and Bruce and didn't want to change it


Warning: This chapter contains child abuse, and attempted rape. There is also mild gore.

AN: This is just an introduction. There will be more interaction with canon later on in the story... I just wanted to keep everyone updated

She knows she's running...But doesn't know where.

The night had been a blur... She's covered in the blood of her parents... And it pleases her...but she can hear sirens...

Are they sounding for her?

Maybe...But she didn't care... Adrenaline was pumping through her veins, pushing her and guiding her through the darkness of the hard gotham streets. She let out a small string of laughter... She'd actually done it... She'd finally freed herself... She didn't need a prince in shining armor... All she needed were her books and the ability to think...

Earlier that night

Stephanie ward sat in her room, her mind lulled with the effects of boredom. She was aware of the screaming match going on between her mother and step father, but chose to ignore. She had let her mind escape into it's own little wonderland, as she often did. She hummed a cheery tune, trying to block them out... She knew eventually she would have to retreat into her closet. When they set apart they're differences to focus on their uncanny hatred for Stephanie... But she had gotten used to it, accepted it...She didn't allow herself to be consumed in fear, or self pity. Though she hated the adults with a passion, she had accepted the way of life.

Fighting, Fighting, silence, fighting, beating, sleep.

That was the way Stephanie had learned to live.

There was abuse present in her house. her small, delicate body was covered in bruises to prove it. But no one had made a sexual move on her quite yet. She was still young... 12. She hadn't quite grown into her body, though the beginnings of curves had started. She was more of a nuisince at this age... No use, a waste of space, food, money... But still there.

Stephanie didn't know why they hated her so. nor did she care... the feeling was mutual. they were nasty, dirty, horrible human beings that simply smudged the image of humans.

The fighting ceased. Stephanie stood, retreating into the closet. She knew they would find her if they so pleased... More than likely, it would be her mother that would come for her. It usually was... Her stepfather wanted nothing to do with her.

Her mother did not care what happened to stephanie, she was simply a way to relieve stress. Take a belt to the small girl, hit her hard enough for a few welts here and there... Not a daughter, just a punching bag.

She burrowed in the blankets she had set in there, picking up the tattered and beaten book she had kept with in. She looked over the familiar title, running her hand out over the words. _Alice's adventures in Wonderland_ ...Oh how she loved that book. She loved to fantasize about following the white rabbit, falling in the hole and leaving this absurd world, even if it were just for a day. To have an unbirthday party, to follow the cheshire cat, to escape the clutches of the red queen...

She opened the book and began reading the first paragraph she laid eyes on...

_"Cheshire Puss,' she began, rather timidly, as she did not at all know whether it would like the name: however, it only grinned a little wider. 'Come, it's pleased so far,' thought Alice, and she went on. 'Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?'_

'That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,' said the Cat.

'I don't much care where—' said Alice.

'Then it doesn't matter which way you go,' said the Cat.

'—so long as I get SOMEWHERE,' Alice added as an explanation."

Stephanie couldn't help but wish she had a grinning cat to tell her somewhere else to go... But alas, here she was, in her little closet... She quickly tucked her slice of happiness back into the blankets when she heard the eerie creaking of her door opening. She risked a peak out of her closet, to assure herself that it was her mother...

But it wasn't. It was her step father... Why would he be in here...?

She shrunk into her closet... Her mother was a violent threat, she knew this...But her stepfather just seemed to be radiating danger... She clutched her blanket, not bothering to move the brown curls that had fallen into her face.

"Stephanie...I know your in here. Come the hell out..." He said. Stephanie swore he sounded a bit... Well, to be frank, drunk. She'd heard him ike that before... She shrunk further back.

Outside of the closet, her step father was searching the room. Stephanie did not know why he wanted to find her, nor did she care to find out. She swore if he would listen, he'd be able to hear her heart pounding in her chest...

A few minutes passed... Stephanie could have sworn he'd been at it for hours. The closet door opened and light bled into the small, dark opening. " there you are!" he said, malice in his voice as he grabbed the young girl by her dark curls. He threw her out, letting her fall on the ground. Stephanie noted the door was closed.

Stephanie backed up in a backwards crawl until her back hit her dresser, making the lamp on the top shake a bit. She wasn't sure if she should get up, or if that would make things worse... Her step father strolled up to her. She could smell the alcohol on him from a mile away... She shuddered.

"Stephanie... Stephanie, stephanie, stephanie, " he said in his drunken tone. "You do nothing but take from us... _You don't give anything back..._" he said, his words a bit slurred. " We feed you, clothe you, house you...What do we get back? Nothing..." He said, taking a few steps closer. Stephanie's blue eyes were filled with horror. "Get up..." He demanded coldly. Stephanie remained frozen. " Get. Up." he repeated, taking a handful of her curls and dragging the smaller girl up to her feet. He didn't let go and leaned in so that he could really look at her. " Your growing up, you know..." he said, quietly as he cornered her against the dresser. Stephanie made no response, " Your going to have to start...Giving back..." He said, letting his other hand sneak under the fabric of her purple hoodie.

Stephanie tried to push him away, " get away!" she demanded, though his push barely moved him.

"You've got to start giving back.." he repeated, pressing himself closer, letting his hands start to explore. One of them started to snake into her pants... Tears burned in stephanie's blue eyes... She did something desperate, grabbing the porcelain lamp on her dresser and smashing it against the side of his head. he was caught off guard by the attack, stumbling back. The side of his head was bleeding... He fell back, falling unconscious. The young girl was shaking... But there was a certain... Satisfaction... In seeing him on the ground, bleeding... it made her proud of herself.

Her mother threw the door open at the sound of the lamp shattering. She looked at her shaking daughter, and her unconscious husband. " What the _hell_ did you do?" She demanded, storming towards her daughter. Stephanie subtly scooped up a shard of what was left of the lamp so that the grown woman wouldn't see. She held it so tight that it drew blood...

"he was going to...he was trying to..." Stephanie said, her voice shaking.

" Get your little ass over here," She demanded. Stephanie shook her head, " Did you just tell me _no_?" She hissed. She made the rest of the trip there, slapping the girl across the face. " You don't say-" She was caught off guard when stephanie thrust the shard of glass into her stomach. Stephanie's shaky hand held it in, looking up at her with terrified eyes. But behind the terror... there was pleasure. She drew the shard black, thrusting it in again. The Pleasure exceeded the terror... She kicked her down, jumping on top of her and stabbing her again...And again...And again... Even after the life had left her mother's eyes, she kept going... When she stopped, she looked around.

She grabbed a few items, including her book and took off running. She left the apartment and ran into the cold, harsh night...

She didn't know where she was going, sirens sounded and adrenaline coursed through her veins.


End file.
